The Monster Under the Bed
by Normryl
Summary: Life is scary. Scarier still when the dead rise and try to eat you. Yet it's Man that is to be feared. Because the undead aren't the only ones who'll eat you alive. Slight AU. Dark story.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Monster Under the Bed**  
**Summary: **Life is scary. Scarier still when the dead rise and try to eat you. Yet it's Man that is to be feared. Because the undead aren't the only ones who'll eat you alive.  
**Warnings:** _DARK. Dark, dark, dark_. Mentions **m/m non/con** (no details, but the aftermath).  
**Notes:** This is set in an AU where the Dixon brothers never met up with the Atlanta survivors. Cut to some distant future when some of the group come across The Dixons.

* * *

1.

"Here."

Merle reached out and took the blanket, nodding gratefully to her as he quickly threw it over the sleeping former next to him. Daryl couldn't have been tucked up any closer to his brother in his attempt to feel some sense of safety.

Michonne crouched down beside Merle, looking at the man curled up beside him for a moment, fascinated with the care the elder brother took making sure the blanket covered Daryl.

"The old man, Hershel, he has medical knowledge. You should let him take a look at your brother while he's out of it."

She could see how conflicted Merle was about it. After what she'd seen Daryl had been through she understood.

She's watched him shovel 3 or 4 sleeping pills down Daryl's throat in his desperate attempt to calm him down. And he'd not stirred since falling to sleep.

"You need anything?" She asked him, standing up.

Merle shook his head. Right now, the only thing he cared about was having Daryl beside him again.

* * *

Michonne made her way over to the others.

"We staying here?" She asked Rick.

He nodded. "Just for the night. It was an unexpected detour and this place will give us protection while we figure out what to do."

"What about them?" Andrea asked motioning over to the brothers.

Michonne shrugged. She had no idea what they'd do and doubted that they did either.

"We don't need anyone else to feed," Carl reminded them. "Foods hard enough to come by."

Hershel nodded. "He's right. But we can't just leave them. Especially not here."

"Maybe they want a lift somewhere?" Carol suggested.

Andrea frowned deeply and shook her head. "That guy we just rescued, we cut him loose with just his brother and they'll both be dead in days. I don't want their blood on my hands."

"What if they don't want to stay with us?" Carol argued.

"Then that's their decision. If it cuts into our food a little, so be it. They deserve a chance."

Rick looked to the others and no one argued Andrea's point. He nodded his head at her before heading over to the other men, beckoning Hershel to follow him.

* * *

Merle could feel Daryl's breath on his arm. It was warm and comforting and he realised he needed to feel his brother beside him as much as Daryl had needed that contact.

He didn't like the fact that Daryl would wake up still in the same building he'd been held in for almost a week now but it seemed the others were camping here for the night and he really didn't want to jostle Daryl about.

He wasn't aware of the two men approaching until they were stood in front of him.

The younger man crouched down in front of him, much like the woman had earlier.

"Rick Grimes," he said holding out his hand. It was crazy to think all that had passed through the last day and they'd never exchanged names.

"Merle." Nodding down to the man next to him. "That's Daryl." He'd probably already told them Daryl's name while they talked about how they'd rescue him from the hell he'd been in but it was too much of a blur to remember.

"This is Hershel. Want him to take a look at Daryl?"

Merle's heart constricted in his chest and fuck, it hurt. Because he didn't want anyone to look or touch Daryl again as long as he was alive. But he knew he was hurt. Knew it might be worse if he didn't let him.

Slowly he nodded. "Yea', okay, do whatcha gotta do but I can't... I can't sit there with ya."

He carefully pushed Daryl off of him and missed his brothers warmth against him and then stood up. "You need him moved?" He asked.

Hershel looked around the room they were in. It had nowhere discreet for him to check over the man. The other rooms he knew of were no better.

The only room that wasn't disgusting was the room that now held the very dead bodies of the men who held Daryl here. Beside that, there was a disgusting bedroom of sorts which was no more than some mattresses thrown on the floor which stank of sweat, sex and decay. There was an old kitchen which was of no use, along with the bathroom and the only other room was where they'd held Daryl.

Hershel didn't think it was likely he'd wake up, but the idea of having Merle move his brother back to that room just felt wrong.

"I'll do it here. But some privacy would be nice."

Rick nodded. "We could do with looking at the food for tonight. Checking supplies." Rick suggested to the others. "Let us know when you're finished?" Rick requested and Hershel nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** this chapter has a bit of ick in it. Maybe some people won't really notice it, but it's there and it's not pointed out in an obvious way, but it's there. Also, there's some reference back to what happened to Daryl.

* * *

2.

It was late into the night.

Rick had watch, but he'd been nervous about the fact that this area had been populated before they'd rolled in and he decided to have Carl on watch with him, keeping an eye on the other side of the building.

It wasn't really something they did these days, go out of their way to help strangers.

But Merle had looked so desperate. And the fact that he didn't seem like the sort who'd easily be driven to that was the deciding factor to Rick.

Merle had filled them in on the fact that the people in the building had his brother and beside the fact that they were 'filthy fuckers' they'd got little else out of him as to what the situation was.

But once they'd breached the building, Rick had backed up Merle and they'd found Daryl.

Rick didn't want to think about what he'd seen, and he couldn't imagine how Merle had felt seeing that.

They'd killed the two men in the room with Daryl quickly and Rick had closed the door before any of the others in the group could get a look at the sight inside.

He'd not even thought about it as he unbuttoned his shirt and passed it to Merle to cover his brother with. He still wore a tee underneath whereas Merle was only dressed in a vest. Rick only met Merle's eyes as he passed the shirt over, not able to bring himself to look at the naked quivering mess that was his brother. But even the look Merle wore had killed Rick.

Hershel had often said Rick felt too much. But looking at the brothers, how could he not?

They'd done nothing to deserve their treatment, simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The group had been all men and it seemed they kept their prisoners for a while to meet their needs before they'd eat them. It wasn't the first time they'd encountered cannibals since the world ended.

He knew it wouldn't be the last.

Hershel had checked over Daryl and was able to tell Merle that his brother didn't require any stitches, which was something of a relief.

Rick was drawn from his daze by a gentle noises coming from across the room. He looked across and saw that Daryl was sat up, muttering something as Merle tried to soothe him. Rick could see a sheen of sweat covering Daryl's skin, glistening in the moonlight even as Rick kept on the other side of the room.

And then it seemed as if from nowhere, Daryl was hurling on the ground.

Rick heard Merle mutter a curse as he scooted away from Daryl slightly and then moved round to his brothers other side. But it seemed once Daryl started he couldn't stop and when he had nothing else to bring up, he was still heaving and Rick could see how the act was taking a toll on the man's exhausted body. When his arms gave out on him, Merle quickly grabbed his brother and held him up while he made sure he was finished and then positioned him back down on the makeshift bed.

Rick could hear Daryl muttering words to Merle as his breathing hitched. He was a mess.

Rick turned on his torch and pointed it down at the ground as he made his way over to the brothers. He made sure he pointed it away from them as he slowly approached.

"Need anything?" He didn't look at Daryl, didn't want to heighten the man's shame in anyway.

Merle shook his head. The flash light in Rick's hand passed across the slick pile of vomit on the floor. And Rick glanced across to Daryl, the pull of checking him over for himself too strong, and he was half wrapped in a blanket and still wearing Rick's shirt.

He looked dishevelled, like he had no clue what was going on.

Hershel had expressed his concern that they might have drugged Daryl, and Rick was starting to think that he might be right.

When Rick turned his attention back to Merle, not wanting to make Daryl uncomfortable even though he'd really not noticed Rick's presence, Merle was still staring at the vomit and then Rick realised why.

The consistency of it was something they both recognised and the pair met eyes briefly before Merle reacted, bending down to help Daryl to his feet and dragging him across the room away from the mess.

Rick was aware of the others, having been woken by the fuss around them, but paid no attention to them.

Merle's actions were rougher than Rick had seen him be with his brother up until then, but then he recognised the anger surging through Merle at what he'd seen and with no way to vent it, it was spilling out of him.

He grabbed the blankets Daryl was sleeping on and passed them to Merle as he found them a new spot to sleep in. Daryl just stood their numbly trembling while Merle tended to the bed and Rick handed Daryl another blanket.

The man seemed to have no realisation that he was half naked still. Merle had produced a pair of boxers but that was all the lower of half of Daryl was covered with. Even in the faded light, Rick could see bruising covering his legs, especially around his thighs and knees.

Daryl grabbed the corner of the blanket with one hand and let it drop around his feet.

"Here," Rick said as he carefully moved around Daryl's other side and handed his empty hand the other corner. Daryl still didn't pull the blanket around himself but Rick didn't want to get any closer to him, so he made his way across the room and covered up Daryl's vomit with some old filthy rags.

Merle shot Rick a grateful look and Rick watched as Merle roughly pulled Daryl back down to the bed and muttered quietly to him about resting.

Rick watched as the others settled back down again. He hoped that the rest of the night would pass peacefully.


	3. Chapter 3

Short and sweet. I love writing caring Merle. :D

* * *

3.

With daylight, came problems.

Daryl was much more aware than he had been and was as horrified and traumatised as anyone would expect him to be.

Rick watched as Merle bundled some blankets around him before he got up to come and talk to the others.

"So... we're gonna wait until you guys have left before we get going." Merle stated.

"You're not coming with us?" Rick asked, surprised.

"I..." Merle didn't know what to say, he'd not really thought of it as an option, but he wasn't sure Daryl could handle that. "I don't know," he said, his eyes wandering over to Daryl. Could Daryl take it, being with these people? "It ain't a great idea," He eventually admitted.

"You two shouldn't be alone," Michonne told him, matter of fact.

"We've done alright so far," Merle protested half heartedly.

"Merle?" Andrea started, making sure she grabbed his attention. "If something happens to you, maybe you get bit. You die. Who takes care of him then? You want to leave him out there alone?"

"Why don't you follow us in the van for now?" Rick suggested. "Then you'll be with the group but you'll have your own space."

Merle thought about it before nodding.

oOo

Carl came across the only thing worth anything in the hole they spent the night in when he found a hidden cupboard in one of the rooms, filled with medical supplies. The group felt a sense of elation at the find, supplies were hard to come by now and this was a find they sorely needed.

Rick and the others had two cars between them. Rick, Michonne and Carl travelled in one, while Andrea, Hershel and Carol were in another.

Merle had only acquired the van after he'd lost Daryl, the back giving him somewhere secure to sleep when there was no one to watch his back.

They'd held Daryl in a regular looking building and there had been some other houses close by which the group looted. They bought the supplies back and Rick insisted Merle sort through it first and get things he and Daryl needed, especially if the pair ended up going there own way.

Merle was reluctant to leave his brother but Daryl was somewhat hidden underneath blankets still and when Merle peeked beneath them, he found his brother sleeping.

Merle asked Rick to keep an eye on him and to call him if Daryl stirred at all, hating the idea of Daryl waking up and seeing a bunch of strange men with him.

So Merle went to the piles the group had gathered and found a couple of pairs of jeans for them both and some shirts that either of them could wear. He threw them in the back of the van and went to go back inside before Hershel stopped him.

He handed Merle a bag with various bottles in it. "Your brother might need them," he explained simply before heading back inside. Merle looked and saw Valium, painkillers and sleeping pills.

The old man was right, Daryl might need them.

He opened the drivers side of the van and put them in a compartment out of Daryl's reach before heading back to his brother.

oOo

Daryl woke up feeling stuffy and hot.

Everything was dark and it took him a moment to realise he was sort of buried under blankets. He struggled his way free, seeing a bright room.

It took a moment before he realised where he was and he wanted to bury himself back into the blankets. Before he got a chance a shadow passed by him and then Merle dropped down beside him, grinning that damn grin he used when he'd stirred up all kinds of shit. And Daryl couldn't help but let his lip twitch slightly at his brother being there, right there beside him. Because that was where he needed to be.

"Hey, get your lazy ass up, we gotta get movin'," Merle said, handing Daryl a pair of pants. Daryl struggled into them underneath the blanket and once he was done, he got himself to his feet.

He knew he needed to get his shit together.

"Where we headin'?" Daryl asked quietly, not really wanting to involve the others in his conversation with his brother.

"Got a van out there. We get in it and follow these folks. See where it takes us."

Daryl knew Merle was watching for his reaction and he couldn't say he was overjoyed at the idea. He didn't want to be with a bunch of strangers.

"Hey?" Merle said, catching Daryl's attention as he got lost in his own thought. "It ain't forever. Just for a few days, okay? Bit of safety in numbers for a while. Right?" Merle looked expectantly and Daryl nodded, even if he wasn't convinced about it yet.

Merle wanted to try. He could do that for a couple of days.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

They drove for hours.

Daryl kept getting pulled into sleep at first throughout the journey, the sleeping pills clearly still in his system and taking there effect.

But then they were heading off road and driving along a path that seemed seldom used and Merle started to feel a little unsure about where these people were taking them.

It didn't help that the bumpy road disturbed Daryl and upon awakening, Merle was able to tell how uncomfortable it was for him on the rough ride but he stayed quiet, tolerating it as he knew there was nothing he could do.

Merle was relieved when the cars in front came to a halt at a cabin hidden deep within the woods.

"Well look'it this," Merle drawled, marvelling at the the huge cabin before them.

Daryl eyed the place in silence, but Merle spared him a glance and knew his brother was impressed by it too.

He stopped the van just a short distance from the cars and poised himself to leave. "Ya comin'?" Merle asked, and Daryl nodded in response.

At first he couldn't understand Daryl's silence but then he realised this was the first time he'd be forced into an interaction with the others. Merle made a mental note to stick close to Daryl and not let the others get too close.

He'd give Rick a heads up too, make sure he knew that Daryl wasn't the most person friendly guy at the best of times.

Daryl hung back beside Merle as they all approached the cabin.

"Ya been to this place before?" Merle asked.

"Andrea found it on a map."

"It ain't clear?" Merle asked, worry creeping into his voice.

"We're gonna find out." Rick stated. "Carl, you and Carol take the side door. I'm gonna to the back with Andrea, Hershel you watch the front with Michonne" Looking past the group he knew and trusted Rick pulled out one of the few spare guns they had. He handed it across the Merle, knowing the brothers had one gun between them. "If anyone manages to break through, or if there's any surprises, you got our back, right?" Rick asked.

Merle nodded his answer for the pair of them and handed the gun to Daryl, seeing as he was unarmed.

He noticed Daryl looked a little spooked, knew that the idea of this unknown threat was gnawing at him more than it would usually.

Rick turned to get himself in position and once the others eyes were on their own tasks, Merle positioned Daryl in front of him so that nobody would get to his brother without getting through him first. Merle told Daryl to head over behind one of the cars so that they had a better view and followed behind him.

oOo

It turned out there was nobody in the cabin.

There were four bedrooms and they sorted out a way to split them fairly. Rick and Carl in one, Andrea & Carol took another, Hershel the third and after some debating Daryl and Merle had the fourth. Michonne said she'd be happier taking the couch.

The brother shot off to the bedroom first and she didn't see Daryl again for the rest of the day.

Merle didn't emerge until later in the evening. he grabbed a can of food and ate the contents over the sink before cleaning himself up a bit and heading back inside the room.

That was the last she saw of Merle until he came barrelling out of the bedroom in the dead of the night, heading for the front door.

She grabbed her katana and shot up after him, Merle not even realising until she was beside him.

Merle looked at her surprised when she was beside him. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

Merle looked back round to the bedroom he'd just left, he looked worried, anxious. "I jus' gotta get the pills. Left 'em in the truck."

Merle rushed out to the truck and things seemed quiet out there, so Michonne wandered over to the bedroom he'd left.

The door was wide open as the remaining brother sat on the bed against the far wall, clearly panicked as he he had the blankets pulled up high around him. He reminded her of a child suffering from a nightmare. His eyes landed on her and he fixed on her gaze.

"Are they out there too?" he asked quiet but urgently.

She shook her head. "No one's out here."

"Where's my brother? They'll get him..." Daryl started.

"No, it's okay. He's tough, they can't get him."

"Who's out there?" Daryl asked again, but Michonne didn't get a chance to answer as Merle rushed past her, bag in hand.

He was quickly sorting through the pills, finding something to calm Daryl down she guessed. Quickly enough he was palming pills and all but shoving them down his brother's throat.

She winced at his heavy handed ways, but it seemed Daryl noticed no difference.

She watched as Daryl relaxed into Merle, who stayed sitting beside his younger brother and eventually, Daryl drifted into sleep.

Merle sighed in relief. Merle kicked his boots off and positioned himself next to his brother, before he moved Daryl into a more natural laying position, rather than huddled against the wall as he had been.

"Take the bed if you want, girl. I ain't moving from here now," Merle said.

Michonne moved into the room and sat on the bed. "What happened?" she asked.

"Jus' some dumb nightmare." Merle said, shaking his head. "All that's gone on in this world now and he's waking up for monsters under the bed."

She smiled at him sadly. "I guess it's not something that usually bothers him."

"When he was real little, he used to have these nightmares about things under the bed. Used to wake the whole house up with it. Don't know where he got the idea from, but he wouldn't stop." Merle smiled sadly to himself. "Course, bein' the kinda brother I am, I decided if he wanted to be scared of something under the bed, I'd give him something to be scared of." Merle chuckled, but there was no real humour behind it. "Got a beatin' for that one." he grumbled and then realising who was in the room with him, he tensed a little, hoping to god she wouldn't try and comfort or pity him.

For her part, Michonne ignored Merle's slip up and went back to Daryl. "So that's what he thought was outside the room too, huh? He kept asking if they were out there."

Merle shrugged. "Always used to be under the bed." But he knew as well as Michonne did that this might just be Daryl's way of coping with what had happened to him. "Was thinkin', if you guys move on, I might jus' stay here with Daryl. Think he'll like it. No one around, all the woods here. Plenty of huntin' to be done."

"You're not gonna stay with us?"

"Don't think you people need us. We're a burden is all."

Michonne shook her head in disagreement. "You're hunters, right? We scavenge what we can. You two would be an asset."

"Thing with Daryl is, I'm not sure how good he'll be at hunting. He ain't at his best right now. And you people helped me out and I own ya'll but I don't know if he can stay with a group. It's not you ladies so much as the men."

"Rick and Hershel, they're two of the nicest men you'll meet. And Carl's just a boy still. They'd kill to protect people in this group. You've already seen that. They weren't good people, they'd have left you and your brother behind. Rick couldn't do that. Even not knowing you, what sort of people you were, he had to help you out. If you go, you and your brother are alone. That might be good for him to be away from people, I get that, but you can't stand guard over him all the time. You can't protect him and care for him by yourself."

"You try telling that to him," Merle said, nodding down to Daryl.

"I will. When he's awake and the drugs are all cleared away, I'll make him see. He can trust us. You both can."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Rick woke the next morning and found Michonne wasn't on the couch. One of the bedroom doors was wide open and he peeked in, seeing her sleeping on the empty bed. Rick smiled at her resting form, and he scanned over to the other bed. The older brother, Merle, was sleeping, one hand behind his head and Rick scanned the bed to seek out the other brother. He caught a pair of eyes staring back at him, as he huddled against Merle. He could make out the fear in them. Rick nodded towards Daryl but he made no response, just kept his gaze on Rick.

Rick left the room and went to the kitchen.

Andrea and Carol were working on scrounging up a breakfast for everyone. It wasn't great, but it was food. Soon enough, everyone from Rick's group was together. Michonne gave the two brothers a call before joining everyone. They started eating together before Merle came out and joined them. He sat slightly off from the others, seated so he could see the door to the bedroom the whole time.

He wore a grim expression which didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Everything okay?" Rick asked after a while.

"Said he ain't comin' out for food, which is a shame 'cause I ain't takin' any in!" Merle said, loud enough so it carried through to Daryl.

"Maybe it won't hurt for him to eat in there," Andrea added.

Merle shook his head. "He won't ever come outta there if he can get away with it. Damn pussy," Merle snapped. His anger at himself was spilling out at his inability to get through to Daryl, to give these people a chance.

He knew Michonne was right, he couldn't take care of Daryl alone, not with how he was acting right now.

Merle wasn't paying attention to Daryl right then, trapped in his own head so the slamming of the door startled him.

"I guess he doesn't want to come for breakfast," Carol remarked.

Michonne's brow furrowed. "He didn't do that," Michonne said, meeting eyes with Merle, and they both shot up at the same time. When Merle opened the door he saw the room was empty, the window left open.

"Fuck!" Merle cursed. He moved past the others who had gathered to see what exactly was happening and headed out the door. He stalled a few steps from the door and turned as Rick and Michonne headed outside. "Look, I appreciate ya'll helping us out but I gotta go find my brother."

"Let us help," Rick asked.

Merle shook his head. "I don't think you can." And with that, Merle headed into the woods after Daryl.

oOo

Daryl needed to get away from Merle, away from those strangers.

He loved his brother, but he was a pain when he didn't know what to do. And right now, he was there all the time and he didn't understand that all he wanted was some time to himself, away from his big brother.

But he couldn't get a moments peace.

He knew Merle would be pissed at him, but he also knew that he wouldn't stay pissed. So he opened the window clambered out of it.

He also expected Merle to run out into the woods and look for him and not think about it. So Daryl retreated into the back of the truck and Daryl got his peace.

TBC

A/N: short, lame... I'm sorry. but it's an update. :D


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